Save Me
by Ria Binger
Summary: Hermione hasn't been the same since Ron's death. In an effort to move on with her life, she moves to a city called Los Angeles, not knowing that there was someone that needed her as much as she needed them. AU contains lemons
1. Her Pain and The Stranger

**A/N: For those who read 'A Second Chance in Love', this story is the reason why I hadn't updated in awhile until recently. This story was a part of the Hermione Granger Crossover Exchange on livejournal. I wrote this story for bananaeskimo (Banana Flavored Eskimo on here). Prompts were based on sweet and breakdown. Hope you guys like it.**

**A big thank you to keelhaulrose for helping me with the ideas and to txfantasystar for helping me with the Angel side of things. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Angel. Those rights belong to JW and JKR.**

**Chapter 1-Her Pain and The Stranger**

Hermione Granger was getting tired…tired of being asked the same damn question.

"Are you okay?"

_No, I'm not okay_, she thought, as she was asked that very question by her best friend, Harry Potter.

He came by to see her after hearing that she failed her Auror entrance exam. She had frozen up with horror when a bogart turned to everyone she loved and died different deaths in front of her. Her friend, Neville, who was also an Auror, escorted her home to make sure that she wouldn't do anything reckless.

"Harry, I'm okay. Stop worrying about me. You have your own family to worry about," she answered, giving him a small smile.

"You're my best friend, Hermione. I have every right to worry about you. You haven't been the same since Ron died," Harry argued, with concern in his eyes.

She knew that he was right. Though it had been three years since Ron's death, Hermione still remembers it like it was yesterday. During the Battle of Hogwarts Ron and Hermione had been fighting off the Death Eaters side by side, protecting each other as they kept the attacks at bay. While their backs were turned, Bellatrix Lestrange hit Hermione with the Cruciatus Curse. She had fallen to the ground, pain taking over her body. Ron immediately rushed to her side and threw a defense spell at Bellatrix to stop the attack. But in that moment of weakness, another Death Eater took advantage of it. Before Hermione could react, the words 'Avada Kedavra' escaped their lips and Ron fell, the life in his eyes gone.

She blamed herself everyday for his death. She was grateful to her friends and family for their concern for her. She tried her best to move on and not dwell on the past. It had proven to be difficult because the memories of Ron's death plagued her mind everyday. However, she refused to let anyone else see her pain.

"We've been over this, Harry. I'm fine. Ron's death was tragic, but I moved on. I'm okay," Hermione tried to reassure him.

_Liar_, she thought as she fought the tears threatening to fall.

"Okay, okay. I'll stop asking. By the way, Ginny wanted me to invite you to dinner. She hasn't seen you in awhile and she was hoping that you might join us," he asked, hoping she would.

"No, I was planning to go to Flourish & Blotts to buy some books. Maybe I'll go visit her tomorrow. Tell her I'm sorry that I'm not able to go," Hermione answered.

"Are you sure there isn't anything that could change your mind?" Harry asked, hopefully.

She shook her head.

"Very well then. I'll see you later," he said, getting up from his chair. He went over to where Hermione sat and gave her a hug.

"Bye, Harry," she whispered, as he left with a pop.

As soon as he was gone, she burst into tears. She cried until she felt like she couldn't cry anymore before she wiped her tears away and headed to her bedroom. She didn't want her friends to worry about her any longer. They had moved on with their lives and she felt like she was holding them back. She knew that they would have argued with her to tell her she was wrong. So she wasn't going to give them that chance. Unknown to her friends, Hermione wasn't planning to stay in England much longer. She had been making plans to leave to escape the memories that plagued her for weeks. She was leaving for Los Angeles tonight. With that thought in mind, Hermione started to pack her things.

She had already found herself an apartment. Now all she needed was to find a job when she got there. As she finished gathering her clothes, she started to gather the rest of her personal belongings. She placed everything in her small, old, enchanted purse. The last thing she had to pack was a picture of her with Ron and Harry. All three of them smiled at her as they laughed at an invisible joke.

She gave the picture a sad smile as she placed it in her purse.

She took one last look around before leaving with a—POP!

Months had gone by since Hermione left England. Her neighbors were surprised to find someone new living in their building when they woke up. She decorated her apartment to look exactly like the one in England with the exception of her magical pictures. She placed those in her bedroom where guests couldn't see them. She had managed to find a job at a local bar as a cocktail waitress. Though she wanted a job at a bookstore, she had decided to work at a place that the others wouldn't think to look. She decided to use a different name, one that was close to her original one. The name she chose was 'Mia'. Her coworkers and most of the customers loved her while some of the customers feared her. She was known at the bar for not only her temper but for her knack to kick out anyone who was causing trouble. Everyday of her new life seemed normal and she was grateful for that. But what she didn't know was that her life was about to change yet again.

One night a handsome man Hermione had never seen before came into the bar. He was a tall dark haired man with a look of sorrow etched in his face. Though he looked young, his eyes showed that he suffered a lot. He continued to look around the room until his gaze landed in her direction. She quickly looked away and went back to work. When she looked back up to see where he was, she was surprised to find him sitting at one of her tables.

She let out a sigh as she went to grab a menu and then walked to his table.

"Hello, welcome to Wolf Creek Bar. What can I get for you to drink?" she asked, with a smile.

"I'm okay. I'm not thirsty. I'll just sit here and listen to the music if you don't mind,…Mia," he answered, looking at her nametag and then looking at her.

"Sure, no problem, sir," she replied before walking away with the menu.

She went on with her work and tried her best to ignore the man's stare. But every time she looked up at him, he would be staring directly at her. It made her nervous, seeing him stare, but she didn't want to show it. So she kept a brave face and continued with her work. It almost seemed to her that he was studying her every movement. She took advantage of the moments that he wasn't staring to study him. Sometimes he would stop looking at her to answer his cellphone. Everytime he answered the call, he would always look annoyed as if the caller said something that angered him. He then would hang up the phone and shake his head, which made her wonder why he did.

When the bar closed, Hermione noticed that the man took his time walking out the door. He left something on the table and watched her yet again, before leaving the bar. She went straight to his table the moment he was gone. He left her a five dollar tip and a business card that read 'Angel Investigations'. She wondered why he left this behind. But in her moment of thinking, her boss reminded her to finish cleaning. So she put the money and card in her pocket to further investigate it later.

After thirty minutes of cleaning, Hermione headed home. She couldn't help but wonder what the man wanted. The whole night that he was there, he didn't speak to anyone. All he did was watch her. She had asked her co-workers if they had ever seen him before, but all of them gave her the same answer 'No'. They offered to help kick the man out if he was bothering her. She always declined their offer, telling them she would be fine by herself. She pulled the business card out of her pocket. Not only did it provide an address; it also gave a phone number. She couldn't help but smirk at the motto that was at the bottom of the 'Angel Investigations' logo.

'We help the helpless'

_Do I look helpless? I wonder how people react when they get this card, _she thought, as she placed the card back in her pocket. As she walked, she thought about the night's events. When she stopped in front of her usual shortcut which was a dark alley, Hermione took her wand out of her purse and placed it in her front pocket. She was amazed to find how many deaths occurred in L.A. It was such a regular occurrence that she wasn't surprised to hear when someone died due to something mysterious. Due to this, Hermione carried her wand everywhere she went. She always made sure that it was somewhere she could get to it fast. Making sure that her wand wasn't visible, she started to walk. She was a few feet in when she heard footsteps behind her. She reached into her pocket and grabbed hold of her wand. She sped up her pace as she heard the footsteps behind her speed up too. Out of nowhere, someone landed right in front of her.

"Well, well, well. What is a nice girl like you doing walking down a dark alley this late at night?" said the stranger, grinning at Hermione.

"Leave me alone," Hermione replied, anger in her voice.

"We can't leave you alone, girl. You see, my friends and I were sort of hungry."

Hermione then noticed that the footsteps that she had heard stop. She began to hear laughter behind her.

_Bloody Hell, they got me surrounded_, she thought, angry. _Wait, did he say hungry?_

Hermione looked at the stranger's eyes and realized that they weren't of normal color. With the little light the alley had to offer, she noticed his mouth.

_Vampires_, thought Hermione, gripping her wand even harder.

"I'm warning you. Leave me alone," she said with a strong voice.

"No, like I said, we are hungry and you smell so good," he replied, as he crept closer to her.

Hermione pulled out her wand and pointed it at the vampire in front of her.

"Incendio!" she cried, as fire burst from her wand.

Surprised by the flames, the vampire didn't have time to react. He was quickly engulfed with the flames and screamed in agony. Hermione quickly turned around, hoping the others would flee in fear. But she was wrong. They continued to creep towards her when she cried 'Incendio' again and set another vampire on fire.

_Two down, Four more to go_, she thought as she ran.

They weren't that far behind her as she tried her best to out run them. She then cast an Expulso spell on two metal trash cans. The explosion sent one of the vampires flying, making him hit the wall. She cast another 'Incendio' spell and sent fire to yet another vampire.

_Just two more_, Hermione, she thought, looking behind her. It appeared the last two vampires had gone. Not letting her guard down, she continued to run and held out her wand. She cast the 'Lumos' spell to give herself better light. It was then that she noticed that the two vampires were still following her. They decided to use their speed to their advantage by using the roofs of the building to run on. They then jumped down, one behind her and one in front. Before Hermione could cast another spell, the one in front grabbed her hand and threw her against the wall. The force caused her to let go of her wand. She cried out in pain, feeling something wet creeping down her neck.

_Blood_, she thought, as she tried to find her wand with her hands. But before she had the chance to grab it, one of the vampires grabbed her by her hair and threw her to his friend. He grabbed Hermione's hair to see the cut she had on her head.

He then breathed in the scent of her blood and said, "Our friend was right when he said that you smell so good. We never had witch's blood before so this will be a first for both of us." He smiled, darkly as he licked her neck.

She struggled to break free, but he gripped even harder to stop her from moving. He then threw her to the other vampire.

"You stopped her from using that magic. You get the first drink," he said, giving his friend a smile.

"Thank you," his friend replied, as he held Hermione down. He grabbed her bushy honey brown hair and moved it from her neck. She felt helpless as she heard him smack his lips before he began to lean forward. She began to regret ever leaving England and hoped that her friends would be able to forgive her for leaving them.

Hermione closed her eyes, hoping for someone to come to her rescue. Her hopes were soon answered as she felt the vampire let go of her. She fell to the ground and realized that the vampire was tackled from the side. She saw him struggle with the person who came to her aid. She couldn't see who it was, but she quickly found a place to hide from the other vampire. She hid behind a trash dumpster, continuing to watch the fight. The other vampire joined the struggle to help his friend. The moment he did, however, the stranger pulled a wooden stake out of nowhere and shoved it in where the vampire's heart should be. He was then gone in a cloud of dust. While her savior had his head turned, the remaining vampire pushed him, throwing the man against the dumpster that Hermione was hiding behind. Hermione went to help him get up, but the man yelled, "Stay there!"

_That voice_, she thought, as the man from the bar came to her mind. _It's him. How did he know I was in trouble?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the struggle between the two males. She was curious as to how the man was able to match the vampire's speed. They threw punches at each other until the vampire punched the man to the ground. When the vampire was about to attack him again, he pulled a stake out of his jacket sleeve and staked him.

The stranger didn't look at her but instead focused on the battle area. He then turned his back towards her and looked around the area where she had been thrown. It appeared that he was looking for something. Hermione came out her hiding place and walked up to him

"Why did you save me? You could've been killed," she said, looking at his back.

"I'm okay. It takes a lot to kill me so you don't need to worry," he replied, still not looking at her.

"But I don't understand. Why did you save me? You don't know me. How did you even know I was in trouble?" she questioned, wanting answers..

"I was passing by the alley and noticed that you were in trouble so I came to help you." he replied, seeming reluctant to give them to her.

"It still doesn't answer my question as to why you saved me. You showed up at my work and watched me like I was something put on display. So I'll ask again. Why did you save me?" she demanded.

This time the stranger sighed as he turned around to face her. It was then that Hermione saw his face. She gasped, in horror, covering her mouth with her hand.

"The reason why I saved you was because you are the only person who can save me," he answered sorrow filling his voice.

Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. The man that just saved her life from two vampires was also a vampire.


	2. A Confrontation and a Question

**A/N: I forgot to mention that this story is finished. I'm going to be posting chapters every three days. So since it has been three days since my last posting, here's is chapter 2. Hope you like it.**

**Another thanks to my betas, keelhaulrose and txfantasystar for helping me with this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Angel.**

**Chapter 2- A Confrontation and a Question**

Hermione took several steps back while his facial features went back to normal. The moment she moved, she was rewarded with a sharp pain. The adrenaline that had pumped through her veins was now gone.

"Don't move. You'll just make it worse," he said, walking towards her.

She moved back from where she stood anyway, trying to avoid him. Her vampire rescuer stopped and then sighed as he asked, "Why do I always get that reaction? Is it the coat?"

_Was that supposed to be a joke? He must be daft to find this funny,_ thought Hermione, looking at him in shock. She gave him an angry glare which made him cringe.

"Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood," he said, turning around to go back to what he was doing.

"How can you be bloody humorous at a time like this? You don't go around rescuing people from vampires, turn around to reveal that you're one too, and then to make a joke out of it! Your people skills are lacking!" she exclaimed, angrily.

"I said I was sorry. I can't help what I am. It's not like I asked to become this," he replied, concreting on the ground.

Hermione looked at him with wonder. _What is he doing?_, she thought as she watched him scratch his head. Then it hit her.

_My wand!,_ she screamed in her head, putting her mind in a state of panic. The adrenaline seemed to return to her as she quickly went to stand right next to him, hoping to find it first. From the corner of her eye, she saw him look her way and then look back down. She had to admit that he was a good-looking vampire. If she had to guess the age he was turned, she would have to say sometime in his late twenties. She wondered how long he had been a vampire and what he had experienced in his life after becoming one. She also wondered what made him different than the six vampires that attacked her. Her hair was soaked with dried blood yet he didn't seem to notice it. But the one thing that haunted her thoughts about him was his words.

_I can't help what I am._

_I almost feel sorry for him_, she thought as she took another side glance at him. She wondered if a lot of people reacted the way she did when they first met him. It seemed to Hermione that he was sincere in his apology to her. But it still didn't change the fact that he made her mad with his joke.

She quickly shook her head to focus on finding her wand. They looked around for several minutes before Hermione spotted it. She quickly grabbed it and immediately pointed it in his direction.

"Whoa, whoa. I'm sorry that I spooked you, but do we really need this to solve our problem?" he asked, gesturing to her wand.

"Then why were you looking for it?" she asked, refusing to lower it.

"I was curious about it. I saw you use it against the vampires and I was intrigued," he answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't believe you. You're a vampire just like them. Why is it that you haven't tried to kill me yet?" Hermione demanded. He was going to give her answers whether he liked it or not.

"Why would I kill you? I don't go around telling people that they are the only ones who can save me and then kill them. Then I really wouldn't have any people skills."

_Another damn joke_, thought Hermione, getting annoyed.

"You are really on edge when you think you're in danger," he said, noticing the intensity in her face.

"You would understand if you lived the life I lived," Hermione argued, thinking about the war.

He waited for her to continue, wanting to know what she meant. When she didn't, he scratched the back of his head and sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you upset or scared. All I want is for you to trust me."

"How can I trust you? I don't even know who you are."

_What does he take me for? A bloody idiot?_ thought Hermione. He really was getting on her last nerve.

"How about I give you my name? Would that help?" he asked, hoping to get her to calm down.

"It's a start."

"Okay. Name's Angel. I'd give you my life story to tell you how I got that name. But it's too damn long." He was trying to make her laugh to lighten the mood again. But just like the two times before, he failed.

"Angel? Isn't that name of your business?"

"Yeah, my friend, Cordelia, came up with the name. She thought it might attract more business that way."

"Is she a vampire too?"

"No, she's a seer and a human. I've known her for about ten years now."

Hermione looked at him, surprised,

"Does she know what you are?" she asked, thinking that his friend probably didn't.

"Yep, she does. So do all my other friends that work with me," he answered.

"Then you must have some weird friends," Hermione retorted, trying to figure out how a group of humans could trust a vampire.

"Would you like to meet them?" he asked, hoping she would say 'yes'.

"Maybe, unless you answer my questions."

He smiled a little as he nodded.

She didn't want to admit it but she was curious as to why this vampire seemed different than the normal vampire. Though she still didn't trust him, she believed him when he told her that he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Okay, but can you please lower your wand? I've seen what you can do with it and it scares me."

"No, I keep it up until I feel like I can trust you."

"All right, fair enough, start asking away."

"How did you find me? I've worked at that bar for months and I've never seen you there before. Why do you think I'm the only person who can save you?" Hermione asked.

"Remember how I told you that my friend is a Seer?" he asked, looking at Hermione to see if she remembered.

Hermione simply nodded.

"She had a vision about you, saving me. She even saw where you work, which is how I found you," he answered, keeping the answer short.

Hermione felt like he was holding something back. He had been short with his answers before and from the way he acted, she was able to figure him out. It was like reading an open book. If there was more to this vision than he was willing to tell, maybe she needed to have a talk with this Cordelia.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as he asked her, "Next question."

"What year were you turned?"

"1753."

"By who?"

"A vampire named Darla. It's another long story."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"I told you its too long. I also don't like spilling my guts about who I am in public. Otherwise, there will be more people that know that there are creatures that go bump in the night. You wouldn't like to tell me about your past just to risk your secret," he pointed to her wand.

"Fair enough, you do have a point there," Hermione agreed, which shocked Angel. "What?" she asked, giving him a weird look.

"Nothing, I'm just glad that we can finally agree on something. Can I ask you a question?" he asked, looking at the sky.

"Sure, what's the question?" she asked, looking at the sky as well.

_What is he looking at?,_ she thought, giving him a weird look.

"Can we take this conversation elsewhere? I don't want to stand here waiting for the sun to come out. I'm kind of allergic to it." he said, with a goofy smile.

This made Hermione giggle a little despite her trying not to. Angel smiled happily, knowing that he finally broke through her shell even if it was only for a moment.

"So do you want to continue this conversation or do you want to go home?" Angel asked.

Hermione thought about it for a moment. She had to admit that it was getting a bit late. She had planned on getting up early to do grocery shopping before heading for work. She also wanted to tend to her wounds before getting some sleep. But she also wanted to know more about what made Angel...Angel.

"I think I would like to head home. As much as I would like to continue this conversation, I have my wounds to attend to," she answered, gesturing to her head.

"You can't use magic to heal them?" he asked, curious.

"I can, but at the moment, I'm having trouble remembering." Hermione answered, placing her hand on her head.

"You might have a concussion. You did hit that wall pretty hard," Angel reached his hand out to her. He hesitated for a moment, looking at Hermione's wand. He didn't want to invade her personal space, and he sure didn't want to be set on fire. He then sighed and placed his hand over her wound. He removed it and said, "Well, the bleeding has stopped. How about you come with me? My friends are really good with tending to wounds. Then we can also continue our conversation. I doubt you would want to go to work with your body banged up."

"I don't know..." Hermione replied, still unsure on whether or not she could trust him. Her curiosity told her to go for it, but her instincts told her to run. She quickly thought over the pros and cons about the situation. Should she trust Angel or should she put an end to his vampire life for good?

He soon interrupted her thoughts and asked her again, "Would you like to come with me or go home?"


	3. Getting to Know Each Other

**A/N: Well, its been three days since my last update. I hope you guys like it.**

**As always I don't own Harry Potter or Angel.**

**Chapter 3- Getting to Know Each Other**

Angel couldn't believe what was happening. Sitting right next to him in his GTX car was the very woman who was not only from Cordelia's vision, but was also the one who had been an inch away from ending his vampire life. He never thought that she was going to say 'yes' to coming with him. But she did and he was more than thrilled.

He still couldn't believe that Mia could be the one to save his soul. When Cordelia had told him about the vision, he thought she had lost her mind.

_"Come on, Angel. How hard is it to believe that there is somebody out there that can help you?" she argued, following him to his office._

_"Because this was made to be a curse. There's no way to stop this from happening after making love with someone that I love. I'm not meant to be happy," he argued back, curious to as to why she kept pushing the subject._

_"That's not true. Everyone deserves the right to be happy." Cordelia was not backing down._

_"Then why can't you tell me how she helps me?" he demanded, looking her straight in the eye. _

_The way he raised his voice angered Cordelia._

_"Look, I'm trying to help you here. Listen to me or don't listen to me. I don't care. But there are things that even I can't tell you if the vision is about you. If I thought this vision was bad, I would tell you everything that I saw. But it's not. So just trust me on this, Angel. I have a really good feeling about this," Cordelia replied in such a calm voice that it scared Angel. _

_Angel sighed as he said, "Okay, Cordy, you win. I'll look for this girl."_

_Cordelia nodded, happy with the outcome. As she walked away, Angel couldn't help but wonder what his best friend was hiding._

He had spent the last two days trying to find her. The only thing that Cordelia could give him was a name and that she worked in a bar. Since Los Angeles was known for its late night bar-hopping, he decided to narrow down his search by looking into ones that had at least one employee with the name 'Mia'.

He had looked through every bar, trying to find a woman with bushy honey brown hair. But every bar that he went to welcomed him with disappointment. His last stop was Wolf Creek, and he had already lost hope of finding her. He entered the bar and looked around until his eyes landed on the one that he had been looking for.

He was still unsure of what the woman could do to help him. But after following her and witnessing her magic, he began to feel that maybe she could help him after all. He still really couldn't believe that she was sitting right next to him. It had taken him a really long while just to get her to lower her wand and he wondered what she had gone through that caused her to be so guarded. When he looked into her eyes, he could see that they were tired and matured way beyond their years.

_What has this woman seen that causes her to be so reluctant to trust?,_ thought Angel as he glanced over at her. She was a fairly good-looking woman. Her bushy honey brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, with a single strand that lay on her face. Her waitress uniform hugged her figure quite nicely. When he got her to giggle at his 'allergic to the sun' joke, her eyes had seemed to light up.

_I wonder what else makes this girl smile,_ thought Angel, with wonder. All he saw on her face was anger. But he had to admit that she looked cute when she was angry.

He continued to drive, casting a few glances at Mia. He wanted to know what she was thinking as she looked at the passing buildings. She hadn't said another word to him after saying 'yes' to coming with him, although she would sometimes look at him with wonder in her eyes. She still held the wand close to her, not letting her guard down. Angel wondered what it would take for her to trust him.

_This is going to be more difficult than I thought it would be,_ thought Angel, a little worried. If he wanted her help, he knew that the only way was to be honest with her. But he knew that his dark past might cause a problem. His only hope to gain her trust was to prove to her that he was changed man….well, vampire, anyway.

The rest of the drive to Angel's place was spent in silence. They continued to sneak glances at each other, wondering what the other was thinking.

Finally, after a few minutes, they arrived at Hyperion Hotel, Angel's home and Angel Investigations' headquarters. He parked his car in the hotel parking lot. He then got out and went to the passenger side to open Mia's door.

"Thank you," she quietly said as Angel helped her out the car.

As they walked to the main entrance, Mia placed her wand in her front pocket. Though she didn't fully trust Angel, she wanted to avoid questions from his friends about her magic. She knew that if they asked, the questions might lead to her past and she didn't want that. So to avoid another awkward silence, she decided to start the conversation.

"You live here?" she asked, looking around the front garden.

"Yep, this is also headquarters to Angel Investigations. I found it when I was running from a demon. I actually came to stay here when it was in business back in the 1950s. It was a beauty back then. There was a lost soul still living here and I helped them take care of unfinished business. Then I decided to make it home base. My friends, Gunn, Wesley, and Fred live here with me. We get the occasional visitor that needs protection, but other than that, this is home," Angel answered, looking at the building.

"I didn't think you lived in such a place. I thought you might want to live somewhere that doesn't have windows," Mia replied, walking up the main steps.

"Well, the center of the hotel doesn't have windows and neither does my office so I spend my day there with my friends," Angel explained, reaching to open the door for her.

When they entered the hotel, the first thing they heard was, "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?"

Standing before them was a slim brunette woman with her hands on her hips. She looked at Angel with fierceness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Cordelia. I got kind of held up," Angel replied, nodding his head in Mia's direction.

"I don't care. Next time you stay out with the sun a couple of hours away, call me. I'll go pick your ass up so that I don't have to worry where the hell you are. Hi, nice to meet you, name's Cordelia Chase," she gave Mia a friendly smile.

Mia was surprised by how quickly Cordelia went to being angry to having a big smile on her face. She remembered how she used to scare Harry and Ron when she would become angry one minute before becoming cheery in less than two seconds.

She smiled. She liked this girl.

"Hi, I'm Mia Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you," Hermione said, giving a smile back. She thought about Harry after she said it. She missed her best friend greatly. When she first got her job at Wolf Creek, the first last name that popped out of her head was his. She wondered how he was doing and if he missed her even though she knew that he probably did.

"I hope this one treated you nicely," Cordelia replied, glaring at Angel and interrupting Mia's thoughts.

"Well, he did, but I'm not that trusting of vampires especially ones that stare at you all night at work, then save you from a group of vampires and then reveal that they are a vampire as well," Mia replied, looking at Angel.

_This isn't going to be good,_ thought Angel, watching Cordelia's face.

Surprisingly, she didn't show any anger on her face. But her next words still stung.

"He's never one to be discreet. I would think after being a vampire for over two centuries he would learn a better way to tell people what he is. But I guess it didn't cross his mind to learn," Cordelia said, leading her away from him.

_Well, can't argue with that_, thought Angel as he followed.

The three of them headed to what appeared to be the offices of the hotel. Standing near a counter were two men and a woman. They appeared to be deep in conversation, but quickly stopped talking when they saw them.

"Everyone this is Mia. Mia, this is Wesley, Gunn and Winifred. We call her Fred for short," Cordelia said as each of them waved.

"Nice to meet all of you," Mia replied with a smile.

"You come from England I assume," Wesley asked, taking note of her British accent.

"Yes, I grew up in London. I moved away a few months ago for personal reasons," Hermione replied, keeping her answers short.

"Oh, well, I hope that Angel here was kind to you," Wesley said, looking at the vampire.

Angel glared at him, annoyed. _Why is that such a popular question today?,_ he thought, remembering Cordelia's reaction.

Mia looked at Angel, amused. _I can see I'm not the only one who thinks his people skills can be lacking,_ she thought with a small smile. She decided to cut him slack by saying, "He was nice to me. He's worried that I might have a concussion since a vampire threw me against the wall."

She turned around to show them her cut.

"Wow, that's a nasty cut. Why don't you come to the back office with us? We'll check to see if you have any more wounds," Wesley said, as the three of them led her to his office.

"I know I should have gone with him," Gunn mumbled before entering the office.

They closed the door behind them, leaving Cordelia and Angel alone. They didn't say anything at first until Cordelia said, "You know she cut you some slack by not telling them how she found out that you're a vampire."

"I know. But then again you forgot to tell me that she was a witch. I almost thought I was a goner. She wouldn't let that wand go," he answered, looking at her.

"Can you blame her? She gets attacked by vampires and then the person that comes to save her is a vampire. I'm surprised that she didn't run when she saw your face," Cordelia walked to the center of the foyer to sit on the pouf.

"She didn't seem scared of me. She was just trying to protect herself. The look in her eyes told me that she's seen a lot in her life. I'm still surprised that she even came here," Angel explained, recalling the night's events.

"People have a way of surprising you," Cordelia said, giving him a smile.

"They sure do," Angel replied, looking at the closed office door. He hoped that Mia's injuries weren't bad. When he looked back at Cordelia, he saw her smiling.

"What?" he asked confused.

"Do you have a little crush on this woman?" she asked, with a sly smile.

"I…I don't know. I just met her."

"Uh-huh. Are you going to tell her about the curse?" Cordelia asked, with a serious look on her face.

"Yes, it's part of my story. I can't really leave it out because it's the reason why I have a soul. Why do you ask?" Angel asked, looking at Cordelia with curiosity.

"No reason. I just wanted to be sure that you're going to tell her. It's really important that you do. You need to be honest with her about everything."

"I don't know about that. Maybe there are things that I should leave out. I don't want to give her another reason why she needs to use that wand," Angel said, jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

It didn't work.

"Angel, you need to be serious about this. If you want her to trust you, then you need to tell her everything."

Before Angel could argue, the others had joined them. Mia had a smile on her face as she talked to Wesley about something. Angel couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He had been trying for hours to get her to smile. But she wouldn't let down her guard around him.

_Maybe Cordy is right. I think I'm going to have to tell her everything,_ thought Angel, letting out a sigh.

"Looks like they bandaged you up pretty good," Cordelia said, inspecting Mia's bandaged head.

"Yes, they said that I was lucky that I got away with only a few broken ribs and a bump on the head. They also told me stories about when they got injured and how Angel helped them. Wesley was telling me about the time that they went to save you and bumped into Fred along the way in another realm," Mia explained, smiling.

"I remember that. I was able to be the sun. That was great," Angel said with a smile as he thought about that particular adventure until Cordelia interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, Angel, maybe you would like to talk to Mia about your life story. Now that you're not out there waiting for the sun to come up, I think now would be the best time," Cordelia said, giving Angel a serious look.

"Uh, yeah, you're right," Angel said, nodding in agreement.

Angel looked at Mia, who had sat down next to Cordelia. The others joined them, all looking at him with encouragement.

_Wow, I feel like I'm about to give out a speech or something_, thought Angel, scratching his head.

He took a deep breath and started to tell his story.

He told Mia about everything from the time he was born to now. He told her about the havoc his sire and he caused in England. He explained to her about how he got the curse and how his sire left him. He also told her about Buffy and what happened when they made love. As he explained all this to her, he watched her face. Her face remained still as stone, not showing a trace of emotion. She sometimes would ask him a question or nodded when she agreed with something. It was driving Angel insane, not knowing what she was thinking. But he found some comfort in the fact that she didn't go for her wand.

After he was done telling his story, Mia kept looking at him, thinking. Everyone else was watching her, waiting for her to say something. They spent a few minutes in silence before she asked, "Is this curse what you need my help on?"

"Yes, I think you are the only one that can help me. You are the first good witch I've met in over a century. I would greatly appreciate it if you would help me." Angel answered, looking at her with pleadingly eyes.

"Why do you want your soul to be sealed permanently in you? Is it because of Buffy?" she asked, curious.

Angel looked down, with sad eyes. If this opportunity was given to him when they were still together, he would have said 'yes' in a heartbeat.

"No, she's moved on with her life and I with mine. I want this for me. If I didn't want your help, I wouldn't have risked my life to help you. There's no pressure, but can you please help me?" Angel looked at her, hoping she would say 'yes'.

Mia sighed as she looked around. She noticed that everyone's eyes were on her. She couldn't help but chuckle as she thought, _Yeah, no pressure._

_Hermione's POV_

Hermione didn't know what to do. She knew that she needed to make a decision but she wished she had more time. After hearing Angel's story, she found herself in a silent debate. Her instincts were telling her to say 'no' because of the evil deeds he had done before the curse was placed on him, but her mind told her to go for it. As far as she was concerned, she didn't gain or lose anything by helping him. His friends seemed to trust him even though they knew about his past.

She looked at Angel who looked back at her. She searched for answers over his face, something to tell her that he couldn't be trusted. But all she saw was sorrow and hope.

After going over everything in her head, she made a decision.

"Okay, I will help you," she said as she heard sighs of relief around her.

"Really?" Angel asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I don't see the harm in it. You have appeared to change your ways. I know there was one mishap with your soul being taken because of your moment of pure happiness. But you were in love and you wanted to express that love. Just because you are a vampire doesn't mean you can't live," she explained, a little sad.

Though she hated to admit it, she envied Angel for being able to express his love for Buffy. She had wanted to be able to do that with Ron when the moment was right but she never got that chance. Harboring the guilt of his death took a toll on her love life. She tried dating when she thought she had moved on, but no one seemed to understand her. They were either too wrapped up at the fact that she was Hermione Granger, one third of the Golden Trio, or they just didn't click. She wanted to be able to give someone something that she cherished that she knew loved her unconditionally. So far she hadn't found that someone.

She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on her pain, and yawned.

"Looks like someone is sleepy," Gunn teased before he yawned himself.

"I can't sleep now. I have to get back home. There are some things that I need like my books and such," Hermione replied, starting to stand up.

"Why don't you stay here? I can go help you get your things tomorrow. You shouldn't be alone right now with your injury," Angel said, concerned.

"No, I don't want to impose. I think I'll be okay," Hermione replied. She didn't want to be a burden to him. She didn't feel as uneasy with him as before but she was uncertain on whether it was a good idea to stay.

"We live here too if that helps," Wesley said, interrupting her thoughts.

"You all live here?" Hermione asked, looking at them.

"They live here. I live in an apartment not far from here. Don't worry. They won't let anything bad happen to you if that's what you're worried about," Cordelia answered, with a smile.

"It would be nice to have company and you can use any of our offices or your room to do your research," Fred added, hoping that it would help her answer.

Hermione sighed as she felt the pressure to answer a difficult question again. She didn't take as long to answer this time.

"Okay, I'll stay here." Everyone smiled when they heard her answer.

As she wiped her eyes tiredly, she didn't seem to notice the smile on Angel's face.

After saying good night to the others, Angel led Mia upstairs to find her a room. Neither of them said a word as they walked down the hall. Angel decided to give her a room not far from his room. He opened the door for her, letting her walk inside.

"If you need anything, just holler. I won't be far." He said as she looked around.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Good night." she said turning around to give him a small smile.

"Good night." He replied with a smile before closing the door.

Angel started to walk the direction to his room, but not before looking back at Mia's door, happy that she decided to stay

Late in the afternoon, Hermione got up after getting several hours of sleep. She got ready the best way she could considering she still had on her waitress uniform. After she finished, she headed out of her room and went downstairs.

When she entered the hotel lobby, Angel was leaning against the counter reading the newspaper. He looked up when he heard Hermione's footsteps heading towards him.

"Good morning, Mia. There's a pot of coffee if you want something to drink before we go," Angel greeted, gesturing to the coffee maker.

"No, I'll be alright. I think we should get this done with so I can get started on doing research. I'll get some coffee when we get back," she answered as she pulled out her wand.

"You use that for traveling?" he asked, curious.

"Yes, we can create port-keys that can get you from one place to another. Then you have Apparation which is what we will be using," Hermione answered, walking around the counter so that she was standing right next to him.

"Is this going to hurt?" he asked, a little uneasy.

"No, it'll probably feel a little weird but it'll be okay. Just grab my arm and we'll go," she answered, lifting her arm towards him.

He hesitantly held her arm as they quickly left with a POP!

When they arrived at her apartment, Angel felt a little weird after they landed in her living room. His head couldn't stop spinning and his insides felt like they were in knots. Hermione watched the discomfort in his face, but was surprised when he said, "That was awesome."

"You are swaying side to side and you think that was awesome. You are the first person I met that likes to travel that way," she replied.

"Is using the port-key better?" he asked, curious.

"No, it's actually a little worse. It takes some getting used to, but with you being a vampire, I think you might handle it a bit better," she answered, heading towards her book collection.

Angel looked around the room. It was filled with books about different things. He personally loved books; his office was filled with them, but nothing to the extent of hers.

"Wow, you have a lot of books," he finally managed to say after just looking around.

"I've collected them along the years. I spend some of my waitress tip money on books. Some of them focus on magic, magical creatures and such. The others are stories from both the Wizarding World and Muggle World," Hermione said, gathering a few books.

"Muggle?" Angel asked, looking at her.

"It means non-magic folk. Muggles are not supposed to know about us. But there are instances when a witch or wizard is born to two Muggles which we refer to as Muggle-Born. I fall into that category. Then we have Half-Bloods and Pure Bloods," she answered, still looking through books.

"Half-bloods, I'm guessing, is someone born to a witch/wizard married to a Muggle while a pure blood has two magical parents," Angel said.

"Wow, you got it right. I'm impressed."

Angel smiled proudly.

Hermione shook her head after noticing his smile.

"So do your neighbors ever wonder how you get to work?"

"No, not really. Since I work at the bar late at night, they aren't awake to notice. They only see me when I'm heading to work or if I'm going somewhere. I try my best not to use my magic for everything. By the way, I never asked you this but how did you like living in Ireland before you became a vampire?"

"It was interesting to say the least. I didn't really get along with my father, but I had my mother and sister to talk to. I was well-educated and loved the beauty Ireland held. I had dreams of traveling the world and meeting someone who had the same dreams and ambitions as I did. I never imagined that I would do that by becoming this," he said, sadly, grazing his fingers along a book.

"Do you regret the things that you did?"

"Everyday of my life. That's why I try my best to help people. I want to be forgiven of my sins one day."

"I think it's very noble of you to want to do that," Hermione turned to look at him. He really was a kind vampire. She wondered why some men couldn't be like him.

"Thank you. I appreciate it," he looked back at her. He couldn't help but hope that things were starting to change between them.

"You're welcome."

He loved the way she smiled. He smiled back.

_I think she's starting to warm up to me_, thought Angel.

After awhile, Hermione seemed to find the books that she needed; about 200 out of her entire thousand book collection. She was about to let Angel know she was ready to leave when she remembered something.

She was still wearing her waitress uniform.

"I'm going to get some clothes and other personal things. I don't think you would want to be around a smelly person for long periods of time," Hermione said, heading towards her bedroom.

"Do you want me to help you pack?" Angel asked, following behind her.

"No, I'm just going to get a few things," she answered, opening her bedroom door.

She headed to her closet and started to go through her clothes. She picked out a few shirts and then headed to her dresser to get the rest of them. In the midst of all this, she had forgotten about Angel. So when she heard a voice say "Whoa", she immediately turned around and found him looking at a picture. She couldn't help but watch him as he poked at it and looked around the frame. A few minutes later, he asked something that she wasn't ready to answer.

"Who's the red-headed guy next to you?" he asked, turning to look at her.

_He must be looking at the picture of Ron and me,_ she thought sadly. She sighed as she said, "He was someone that was very important to me."

She placed the rest of her things in her purse and she noticed Angel, watching her. Before he could open his mouth to ask another question, she stopped him by saying, "I'm ready to go."

He just nodded and led the way back to the living room. Neither said a word as Hermione placed the books in her bag. After she was done, Angel grabbed her arm and they then Apparated.

As soon as they arrived back at the hotel, Hermione quickly left to her room. Angel remained where he stood and watched her leave. He wondered who the guy in the picture was that caused her attitude to change so quickly.

When Hermione got to her room, she started to set up a work table. She pulled out her books and organized them by subject. She didn't want to waste any time looking for something that could help Angel.

_The sooner I help him, the sooner I can leave without telling him about who I am, _she thought with a sigh.

After she finished organizing her desk, she decided to call into work for vacation time. She took out her cell phone and pulled out her planner to find her boss's number. Ever since she started her job at the Wolf Creek bar, Hermione never took a day off. She worked double shifts on occasion and would sometimes bartend if they had too many waitresses that night. When she finally found her boss's number, she dialed it. The moment her boss answered, she informed her boss that she wanted to take a really long vacation. She was surprised when her boss let her take the time off without giving it a second thought, but was happy nonetheless.

After getting off the phone, Hermione found herself thinking about Ron. She began to wonder how her life would be like if he was still here. Her thoughts slowly went back to Angel. What would have happened if she never left England? Would Cordelia have had the vision? Different questions ran through her head as her curiosity about it built with every thought. Her thoughts went back to the present and wondered about a different question. Should she be honest with Angel? She felt somewhat guiltily for not telling Angel about Ron when he asked.

_What harm would it have caused?,_ she thought, as she got up from where she sat to lie down on her bed. She wanted to have someone to talk to about her pain that hadn't gone through what she did. She would be able to see a different perspective of things that happened from someone else. She also wondered if she was doing the right thing by not telling him the truth. He had been so willing to tell her everything about his past including the bad, so shouldn't she do the same?

She then decided to push away her thoughts and think about her afternoon. She soon found herself smiling as she remembered Angel's interest in her books.

_Maybe he's not so bad_, she thought before getting up from her bed and getting to work.


	4. Harry's Search and Inner Conflicts

**A/N: I know it hasn't been three days. But I thought I'd be nice and give you a chapter a day early. I'm happy this story seems to be the favorite of many people. So I thank those that have reviewed/favorited/alerted to this story. Thank you!**

**Another big thanks to keelhaulrose and txfantasystar for being awesome betas.**

**As always, I don't own Harry Potter or Angel.**

**Chapter 4-Harry's Search and Inner Conflicts**

_Where the hell can she be? _thought Harry, leaving another town. For the last several months since Hermione's disappearance, Harry had spent every waking moment trying to find his best friend. He checked every spot that he thought she could be. He checked with friends, family and her parents. But no one knew where she was. He had sent out a missing person report throughout the Wizarding World and Muggle World. Since it was sent out he had received a lot of reports of sightings, but every time he went to the town she was 'seen' at, he would come out with nothing. He couldn't help but wonder the worst when he thought of the state she was in the last time he saw her.

His wife, Ginny, and their friends had given up hope. They believed that their Hermione was gone long before she had disappeared. Everyone tried their best to help her get through her pain. But nothing seemed to help her. When she first disappeared they, like Harry, did everything in their power to try to find her. But after days turned into weeks and weeks turned into a few months, they were slowly beginning to lose hope. Now Harry was the only one who was still searching for her.

To further aid his search, Harry decided to use the modified Taboo name charm to find Hermione. If her name was spoken by her, he would immediately get her location. When Harry first decided to use it, he had found the irony behind it because Hermione was the one that had helped modified the charm. She thought it might help find the missing Death Eaters who were known to brag about their part in the Great Battle of Hogwarts. It had worked wonderfully and now Harry hoped it would help find his best friend.

After leaving the town that he had just searched, he headed back to his office to drop off paperwork before finally heading home. When he got home, he was surprised to see Ginny sitting at the kitchen table. She looked like she was in trance, staring at nothing while fiddling with her wedding ring. He made her jump when he kissed the top of her head.

"Why are you so jumpy?" he asked as he sat in the chair next to her.

"Sorry, I've been sitting here thinking for the past hour or so. I was going to clean the kitchen after putting James in bed, but I then just started thinking and forgot," she answered, giving him a faint smile.

"What have you been thinking about?" he asked.

Ginny didn't say anything at first. She continued to fiddle with her ring before she finally sighed. She bit her lower lip before she said, "I'm worried about you, Harry. Ever since Hermione disappeared, you haven't been yourself. I think you are working yourself too hard to find her."

Harry sighed, slightly aggravated. This wasn't the first time they had this conversation.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but what if Hermione doesn't want to be found? What if she's…?" Ginny paused, not wanting to say the words.

"What if she's what, Ginny? Dead? You know I'm not going to give up until I find her. I know Hermione and she wouldn't do something that rash. You may have given up on her but I haven't," he argued, angry.

"Hermione hasn't been herself ever since Ron died. So pardon me if I can't see the hope in all this. The last time you saw her, she had just failed her Auror test because of the boggart and she was depressed. So what makes you believe that she wants to be found?"

"I don't know if she does or if she doesn't. But I would feel better knowing that she is okay and the reason why she left. I'm not going to stop looking for her."

"Yes, but you shouldn't be working this hard. Maybe she'll come back on her own. There's only so much you can do. Why work this hard if she didn't care enough to at least tell you where she was going?"

"She does care. I know Hermione. She doesn't like to be a burden on anyone. Imagine watching the people you love be able to move on while you dwell on the past. She blames herself for Ron's death because he died protecting her. I tried my hardest to get that stubborn woman to open up, but she always told me that she was okay."

"It's not your fault that she left, Harry. Why can't you see that?"

"But it is my fault, Ginny. I could have pushed her or have tried harder. No matter what you or anyone else say, I'm not going to give up. I don't care how long it takes. I'm going to find her." Harry was determined now more than ever to prove his wife and their friends that Hermione was still alive. He wanted his best friend back and nothing was going to stop him.

From the look in Harry's face, Ginny was realizing it too. She hated it when he was being this stubborn. Though she had given up on Hermione, she couldn't help but admire him for not giving up, but even that didn't stop her from getting angry at him for it.

"Fine, since I can't stop you, do what you want. It's obvious you don't care about my opinion on this," Ginny replied, just as angry as Harry.

She got up from her chair and went straight to cleaning the kitchen. Harry sighed in anger as he left the kitchen and headed to their bedroom. As he got ready for bed, Harry made himself a promise. He wasn't going to give up on Hermione no matter what anyone else said.

_I will find you, Hermione, if it's the last thing I do_, he thought as he closed his eyes to sleep.

_Los Angeles, California_

Hermione was hard at work, trying to find something that could help Angel. She would sometimes spend hours on end working, never going out of her room. When she did that, Angel would bring her something to eat and drink. She had to admit that she liked his company during those moments because at times she found herself thinking about her past.

She didn't like to lie to anyone about anything unless it was necessary, but even then she still hated it. For the first time since the war, she felt like she had someone who could possibly relate to her. Angel had seen so much and done so many horrible things, yet he was able to look at it in a somewhat positive light. If it wasn't for the fact that he did those horrible things, he wouldn't have been cursed.

Hermione had always been a firm believer of things happen for a reason. If it wasn't for him killing that gypsy girl, her people wouldn't have cursed him. He probably would still be wrecking havoc across the world or been dead by now…in a matter of speaking.

His curse was part of the reason why Hermione wanted to help him. That's if she could save him. She still found it hard to believe that she was the only one who could.

_How can I save anyone? I couldn't even save Ron,_ she thought, looking at a book. She had been staring at the same page for the last two hours.

She knew that she shouldn't blame herself for what had happened. But she didn't see it like Harry and everyone else. They told her that he had died protecting the woman he loved but she still thought his death could have been prevented. If Bellatrix hadn't hit her with the Cruciatus Curse, he could still be alive. So how was she able to save a complete stranger when she couldn't save the man she loved?

As she thought about it, she began to realize that this was her chance to prove herself wrong. If she could save Angel, then maybe she could finally get over her pain.

Meanwhile, in his office, Angel sat at his desk, thinking about Mia. He had found that he enjoyed spending time with her when he took her meals. They would talk about current events or about different books they had read. He could tell that she was hiding something and he often wondered why she had come to Los Angeles. He had visited England after being cursed and found the country quite fascinating, so he wondered why she would leave. He soon found himself wanting to get to know her better. She was the first person that he met that didn't see him at fault for what happened between Buffy and him. She actually saw his reasoning behind leaving Sunnydale and would sometimes listen to Angel talk about her. However, when he asked her about her past relationships, she would change the subject quickly or would get back to researching.

He wanted to know what made her tick. Who was she? Where did she live in England? Different questions ran through his head as he wondered about the woman who was trying her best to help him. His one problem…how was he going to get her to open herself up to him?

_Maybe I need to get advice from an expert,_ thought Angel, getting up from his chair. He walked out of his office and went into another one, stopping and standing before the brunette behind the desk.

"Cordelia, I need your help."


	5. A Date, A Battle, and A Mistake

**A/N: I'm in a good mood so here's the next chapter. Hope you like it.**

**As Always I don't own Harry Potter or Angel.**

**Chapter 5- A Date, a Battle and a Mistake**

As time passed, Mia's and Angel's relationship started to blossom to something beyond friendship. Taking Cordelia's advice, Angel decided to become Mia's friend. He spent every moment he could with her. He would welcome her with breakfast when she woke up and was there when she fell asleep from researching. Whenever she needed a book or a change of clothes, Angel would go with her to the apartment. They would talk about everything from books to movies to music. He sometimes couldn't believe how much they had in common. They would have long conversations about anything and everything. When he sometimes would leave on a case and come back, he would spend the night talking to her about what happened. She sometimes would offer him suggestions on how to handle it the next time he faced a case like that again.

Angel soon found himself falling for the young witch. He didn't realize it until one night when he was fighting a vampire, all he could think about was her. What stuck out to him about his thoughts was his worry of not seeing her face again. Never before in his life had he met someone that he connected with as much as her. She was everything that he had ever dreamed of in a woman. Yet he wasn't sure how she felt about him.

He didn't know how to approach asking her how she felt. He was scared at what she might say, but something in his heart told him to go for it. So he decided to ask her out on a date. He went through different ways of asking her out, each of them sounding dumber than the last. It had been awhile since he last dated anyone. Mia was a special person to him and he wasn't going to screw up asking her.

_You slay demons and vampires everyday and you can't ask a woman out on a date_, he thought, pacing his room.

After a few more minutes of pacing, he finally decided to take the chance and headed to Mia's room.

Hermione didn't know what to do as she sat at her table, thinking. For the first time in three years, she had fallen in love. She never thought she would be able to love again after Ron's death. Yet after getting to know Angel, she found herself falling for the brooding vampire. She didn't think it was possible to find someone that would challenge her and could relate to her in everyway possible, but Angel proved her wrong.

She still felt guilty for not telling him the truth about herself. It was becoming more difficult to avoid the topic of her past. She could tell from his face that he knew that she was hiding something.

_Maybe it's time to come clean_, she thought, scratching her head.

She wondered how she could possibly tell him and hoped that he wouldn't be mad at her for lying to him. She went over different topic starters in her head. When she finally decided on one, she headed for her door. The moment she opened it, she was surprised to see who was standing before her.

"Angel? What are you doing?" Hermione asked, looking at Angel's raised hand and then looking back at him.

"Sorry, I was about to knock on your door." Angel replied, lowering his hand.

"Oh, okay. Is there something that you need?" she asked, looking at him.

"Well, I…just wanted to know…if you would like to go catch a movie with me?" he answered, nervously.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Hermione asked, somewhat shocked.

"Yes, I am. After the movie, we can walk around the neighborhood if you like. I just thought it would give you a chance to get out of your room for awhile."

Hermione thought it over. She couldn't help but be somewhat excited about him asking her on a date. Not only did it give her time to spend with him, it gave her a chance to tell him the truth.

"Okay. I would love to go. Just give me a few minutes to get ready and I'll meet you downstairs," she smiled at him before closing the door.

_Wow, I got a date_, thought Angel, happily, as he headed back to his room.

Angel waited by the front entrance for Mia to come down. He started to pace a little, worried that she might have changed her mind. But soon he heard footsteps heading down the stairs. He turned around and looked up to see Mia and was amazed by how beautiful she looked. Though she was dressed in something simple, her bright smile made her radiant. He looked at her in daze until she stood in front of him.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked, which snapped Angel out of his trance.

"Yes, let's go," he answered as he opened the door for her.

"Where is this movie theater that we're going to?" Mia asked, looking towards Angel.

"It's about a ten minute walk from here and five minutes by car." He answered as they walked out of the hotel.

"So are we walking or driving?"

"Well, I figure we can walk if you like. It's a beautiful night. It would be a shame to waste it."

"Sounds good to me. I don't mind walking."

As they walked to the theater, they talked about anything that popped into their head. They were so deep into their conversation that they didn't realize that they had arrived at the movie theater.

"Why don't you pick the movie?" Angel suggested, looking up at the movie listings.

Mia nodded and looked up. She looked through the different movie selections and came across one that stuck out.

"Why are they showing _'Notting Hill'_? Wasn't that movie released a few years ago?" she asked, looking at Angel.

"A family runs this theater. They like to have special nights like family night, date night, and different things like that. They always have a movie that was released years ago for people who just want to see a good movie. I'm guessing tonight is date night," Angel said, looking at the line of couples.

"Can we see that movie?" Mia asked, looking at Angel.

"Sure, let's get in line for tickets." Angel answered, leading Mia to the line. He placed his hand at the small of her back. He was happy to know that she didn't move away from his touch.

After getting their tickets, they headed inside. They walked past the concession stand and headed straight for their theater and sat down in the best seats they could find. They got comfy and talked for a bit before the movie started.

As they watched the movie, Angel thought about Mia. He wondered what she thought of him. Did she felt the same way he did? He also wondered how it would feel to kiss her and to hold her in his arms. He wanted to show her that she mattered to him, but how was he going to do that when he didn't know how she felt? What he didn't know was that Mia was thinking about him.

Hermione's eyes stayed glued to the movie screen. She tried to focus on it, but failed terribly as her thoughts kept wandering to the vampire sitting next to her. Butterflies had found her way into her stomach when Angel had placed his hand on her back. His touch gave her some comfort knowing he was there. She wondered how it would feel to kiss him and how his touch would feel on her skin. She blushed at the thought as she again tried to focus on the movie. As if they could read each other's thoughts, they looked at each other before immediately turning back to the movie.

After the movie finished, they stayed for a bit, waiting for the crowd to clear. As they sat Hermione closed her eyes listening to the song that played as the credits rolled. She noticed Angel watching her with curiosity.

"I like this song. When I first saw this movie, I told myself that I would find someone that reminded me of this song," she said with her eyes still closed.

"It's a beautiful song. I can see why you want to find someone like that," he replied, hoping internally he could be that one.

Hermione just smiled as her mind wondered back to Ron.

_There's no way around it. I have to tell him the truth,_ thought Hermione as they both got up after the song was over.

As they left the movie theater, they decided to take a long walk before heading back to the hotel. They started to talk about her research and how much progress she had made. The conversation was fairly normal, but then it turned interesting.

She still doesn't know how the topic came up, but the next thing she heard from Angel was "How do you feel about me?"

"Pardon?" she asked, somewhat in shock.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have blurted that out but I want to know how you feel about me? I've never met someone that has made me feel the way you do. I love you, Mia. I want to know if you feel the same," he answered, looking into her eyes.

Hermione was at a lost for words. She hadn't expected the conversation to lead to this.

_I think this is the time to tell him the truth_, she thought, taking a deep breath.

"There's something I need to come clean about, Angel, before I can tell you how I feel. I'm not who I say I am," she replied, looking at the ground.

Angel looked at her, confused.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

Hermione sighed before she started to explain. She told him everything from her childhood up to the Great Battle of Hogwarts. He listened to her with a blank look on his face. It drove her crazy not knowing what he was thinking. The last thing she told him about was Ron.

She fought back tears as she told him about their relationship. How they used to argue with each other and how he was there for her when she needed him. She smiled recalling his jokes and how much he meant to her. She told him that he was the reason why she came to LA. When Angel asked her why, she stayed quiet. Instead, she changed the subject by saying, "And my name isn't Mia Potter. It's….."

In that very moment, Hermione was interrupted by laughter. They both turned around to see a group of guys standing not far from them.

"What do we have here? A couple having an evening stroll. You know it's bad to walk around this part of town at night," one of them said as they casually walked towards them. They both noticed his facial features. He was a vampire. Angel immediately moved to stand in front of Hermione to protect her.

"Leave us alone. We don't want any trouble," Angel said as Hermione went to her purse.

_Glad I brought this_, she thought as she slowly pulled out her wand. She noticed the rest of the group beginning to surround them.

"Do you have a spell that can take them out at once?" Angel whispered as he looked around at them.

"No, but if we fight them together, we can take them out." Hermione suggested, moving to face the vampires behind her.

"I'll take the ones in front and you take the ones in back."

"Okay. We'll do it in 3."

"1, 2…3!"

Hermione used the Incendio spell on the vampire in front of her while Angel did a karate kick to the one in front of him. The other vampires were surprised by the assault but after they shook off their daze, they joined in the fight. Hermione and Angel remained close together as they fought the ruthless vampires. But after awhile, the attackers soon knew their moves and pulled Angel away when he tried to do a wheelhouse kick to a bigger vampire. Angel fought back, trying to get to back to Hermione. But the vampire that he was fighting proved to be a worthy opponent. After Hermione defeated her last vampire, she immediately turned around to help Angel and watched him try to fight off the vampire that stopped his kick. She began to notice a vampire in the shadows, slowly making his way towards Angel's backside. Ron's face flashed into her head as she pointed her wand towards it.

She yelled out 'Incendio' and fire engulfed the vampire.

The vampire that Angel was fighting pushed him against the wall and watched his friend's demise. It was then that he realized that he was the last one out of the group. He tried to run away but Hermione was faster. She cried out 'Incendio' again and the only thing that remained of the last vampire was ash.

She took in a deep breath as she walked to where Angel was thrown. He was getting up when she joined him.

"Tonight has been an interesting night," Hermione said, watching Angel dust himself off.

"You can say that again," he replied, giving Hermione a smile.

The way he smiled at her made her think of Ron again. She looked towards the ground with sadness in her eyes. Angel wondered what he did to make her look that sad and decided to try to make her smile again.

"You have an excellent fighting stance. You are a great ally to have," he said, hoping to get her mind off of what was causing her grief.

She looked at him and smiled.

"Thank you, Ron," she said without realizing it.

It slowly dawned on her what she said when she saw the confusion on Angel's face.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that," she said, quickly, slowly backing away from him.

"It's okay. You just finished talking about him a little while ago so its okay," he replied, trying to change the subject.

"No, it's not okay. I need to go back to the hotel. I'm sorry, Angel. I have to go," Hermione didn't wait for Angel to reply.

She just took off running.


	6. A Moment of Despair turned to Happiness

**A/N: I just realized that tomorrow is my family's Christmas party so I'll be fairly busy with stuff that I might not update. So I decided to do it a day early. There is lemons in this one so I'll put 'X's to let you know when it happens so you can skip it if you like. Hope you guys like this chapter. **

**As Always, I don't own Harry Potter or Angel.**

**Chapter 6- A Moment of Despair turned to Happiness**

Weeks have passed since Hermione's date with Angel. Since that night, she hasn't had the strength to leave her room. The night had been perfect. She was happy to finally have someone like Angel. What made the night even more perfect was when he confessed his feelings for her. She hadn't expected the words to come out of his mouth and had found herself feeling giddy when they did. It was for that reason she had decided to tell him the truth about everything. She wanted to start their relationship over with a clean slate, but the moment that she was going to tell him her real name, the group of vampires had shown up.

If it wasn't for that fight, she wouldn't have had memories of Ron flow back into her mind. Then she might not have called Angel 'Ron'. After that slip-up, she couldn't bring herself to leave the safety of her room.

To keep her mind off her pain, she became engulfed with her research to find something to help Angel. She spent hours on end trying to locate answers, but she hadn't been successful. She was on the verge of giving up altogether. Her frustration and her pain would lead to her crying herself to sleep.

_I was a fool to believe that I could ever help someone_, she thought as she threw a book in frustration.

Angel jumped as he heard the loud bang coming from Mia's room. He had stayed by her door everyday since their date. He tried to get her to talk to him, but nothing worked. She would either ignore him or tell him to go away.

He refused to leave her door, but was at a loss as to what he could do. He felt helpless when he heard her cry. He wanted to hold her, to let her know that things would be okay. He didn't care that she didn't tell him about her past or that she had a different name. All he wanted was for her to be happy.

"She still won't leave her room?" whispered a voice next to him.

Angel turned his head to see Cordelia standing next to him.

In the months that had passed, Cordelia and the others had grown fond of Mia. Each of them had a special relationship with her. They had tried helping Angel by getting Mia to talk to any of them, but they also failed. Cordelia was the one who worried the most out of all of them. She hated the fact that not only was Mia hurting, but Angel as well. The others and she had decided that someone should check on Angel. She was the lucky one.

"How is she doing?" Cordelia asked, leaning against the wall.

"Same as she has been for the last few days. She threw a book a couple of minutes ago so I know she's in there," Angel answered, turning back to look at the door.

"Has she eaten today?" she asked.

"Once. She was gone for an hour or so."

"Have you tried knocking on her door again?"

"Nope. I don't think it'll do any good."

"Why not?"

"Because she obviously doesn't want to be bothered and doesn't want to see me. I don't know what to do, Cordelia. I want to take her pain away, but she's not letting me."

"Knock on her door again. Let her know that you won't leave until you see her or something. You shouldn't stop trying. She needs someone right now and you are the only someone she needs. None of us know what happened that night. We tried helping you out, but I think you are the only one who she'll talk to," Cordelia said before walking away.

Angel watched her go, thinking about what she said. He knew that she was right, but he didn't want to cause any more pain to Mia.

_I don't even know if she'll open the door_, thought Angel, turning to look back.

He stood there, trying to figure out what to do when he heard something that helped him decide.

Her crying.

He then stood up straight, walked the few steps to her door and knocked.

Hermione jumped when she heard the knock on the door. It had been awhile since she had heard one. After denying everyone entrance, she hadn't heard from them again.

_Who the bloody hell could it be?_ she wondered as she wiped her tears.

They knocked again.

"Who is it?" she asked, looking at the door.

"It's Angel. We need to talk."

Hermione bit her lip as her heart started to race. She really didn't want to face Angel after everything that had happened, but she knew that she would have to face him sooner or later.

_Might as well be sooner,_ she decided as she got up from her chair and headed towards the door, checking herself in the mirror on the way.

_Bloody Hell. I look like crap_, thought Hermione as she noticed her puffy red eyes.

Not caring about how she looked, she slowly opened the door.

"What do you need?" she asked, looking at Angel.

"I just want to talk. Can I come in, please?" he asked. Hermione noticed him studying her face with concern.

_He must be worried about me_, she thought.

She sighed before she said, "Sure. Come in."

She moved aside as Angel entered her room. After closing the door and turning to face him, Hermione noticed the look of surprise on Angel's face when he looked around the room. She joined his gaze and slowly began to realize how badly disarray it was.

_Wow, I would've clean if I had known it looked like this,_ she thought, taking note the piles of books that were scattered around the room.

Neither said a word as they stood there in an uncomfortable silence. Hermione was trying her hardest to not let her emotions get the better of her. She wanted to tell Angel she was sorry for what happened and to pour her heart out to him, but she didn't know where to start.

As if he had been reading her mind, Angel asked the one question she hadn't heard since she left her home.

"Are you okay?"

When she heard those words, she broke down in tears. Angel rushed to her side as she fell to the ground in heavy sobs.

"No, I'm not okay! I've been trying for days to figure out ways to tell you how I feel. I love you, Angel. I love you so much that I was afraid that I was going to screw it up. I wanted to tell you that night so badly, but I thought you deserved the truth about me. I hope you can forgive me for keeping it from you. I just couldn't let anyone know about my past."

"What is so bad about your past that you had to hide it from me?" Angel asked, concerned. He wrapped his arms around her, hoping to calm her down.

"I couldn't save him!" she yelled through her tears.

"Who?"

"Ron! I couldn't save him from being killed. He was protecting me from the Cruciatus Curse that someone cast on me. They killed him when his back was turned. How can I save anyone when I couldn't save him?"

"It wasn't your fault. He was trying to protect you."

"Yes, it is. If it wasn't for me, he would still be alive. I thought I could help you so that maybe I could prove myself wrong. But I couldn't. I can't find the answers you need and it kills me because I love you. I haven't felt like this for anyone before. I'm really sorry that I can't do anything more to help you."

Angel rocked her in his arms as she cried her heart out. It killed him to see her in so much pain.

"It'll be okay," he whispered.

"No, it won't." she argued tears falling.

"Yes, it will. Look, I don't care that you kept your past a secret from me. I love you for you not because of your past. All I want is to make you happy. I hate seeing you like this. It hurt me to hear you cry at night and not be able to heal your wounds. You may not believe it but I know that everything will be okay," he argued back as he kissed the top of her head.

He held her tighter as Hermione started to regain her composure. They didn't say anything to each other again until Hermione looked up at him and smiled.

"Thank you for accepting me for me," she whispered looking deeply into his eyes.

"No, thank you for loving me," he whispered back, looking back at her.

"I love you, Angel."

"I love you, too."

They looked at each other for what seemed like forever. Though her eyes were swollen red from crying, Angel thought she looked beautiful. He gently removed a piece of hair from her face as he smiled softly at her. What happened next was so sudden that it was incredible. Hermione, timidly, leaned in and kissed Angel. Caught by surprised, Angel at first doesn't know how to react, but his surprise was quickly washed away as he melted into the kiss. He pulled her closer to him, not wanting to let her go.

He gently pulled away however and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

"Can you tell me your name?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

"Hermione. My name is Hermione Granger.

"That's a beautiful name. I'm glad to meet you, Hermione," Angel said, a smile across his face. He was happy to finally know the name of the woman he had fallen head over heels for.

**(the lemons start)**

Hermione returned his smile before pulling him to her. She pressed her lips to his. Angel pulled her close to him again, refusing to let her go. He flicked his tongue gently against her lips, wanting to deepen their kiss. She parted her mouth, allowing him entrance. Her fingers dug into his back as she hugged him tighter, wanting no one else in that moment. She ran her fingers through his hair as he moved his lips from her mouth to her neck. She moaned into his ear as he gently sucked on her neck.

"Angel, can I tell you something before we go further?" she whispered as he continued kissing her neck.

"Hm-hm," he replied, not moving from her neck.

"I'm a virgin."

Angel stopped what he was doing and moved to look at her.

"I'm really sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable or feel like I'm pushing," Angel said, feeling somewhat bad.

"No, don't say that. You're not making me feel uncomfortable or anything like that. It's just…I've never had sex before and I'm nervous. I don't know how to get rid of my nerves."

She bit her lower lip, nervously, as she asked, "Can you help me?"

Angel couldn't help but smile at her question. He found it somewhat sexy and cute. The look in her eyes told him she wanted more. Instead of answering her, he pressed his lips on her.

Their lips clashed passionately against each other. Angel ran his fingers through her hair. He then surprised Hermione by lifting her up from the floor, never breaking their kiss. He walked towards her bed and placed her down on it, breaking their kiss momentarily to walk around the bed and lay right next to her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, after positioning himself closer to her.

She smiled at him before she pulled him to her, kissing him with such passion that Angel was beside himself.

She gently pulled away and asked, "Does that answer your question?"

Angel nodded as he kissed her again. He then started trailing down her neck with his lips. She moaned in pleasure as he reached the top of her chest. He wanted every inch of her. He wanted to touch her skin and ravish every part of her. He gently tugged on her shirt as he looked up at her. She lifted her arms as he peeled it off.

Hermione felt somewhat shy without her shirt. She blushed as he admired her half naked body. Noticing her shyness, Angel took off his shirt in response.

"Does that make things a little easier?" Angel asked as he lay back down next to her.

"Yes, a little." She said, with a smile.

He pulled her in for a sensual kiss. With one hand, he started massaging her breast. Hermione moaned into his mouth, her fingers digging into his shoulders. She gently bit his lower lip which caused him to groan in response. He backed away from her lips for a moment and positioned himself on top of her. Before he had a chance to kiss her again, Hermione surprised him by kissing his neck. He moaned her name into her ear, running his fingers through her hair.

She then traced kisses on his chest, on his shoulders, and then went back to his lips. Angel was enjoying the taste of her on his lips. He felt his pants get tighter around him. Hermione pulled away from his lips when she felt him on her. He simply smiled at her and bent his head down to her chest.

He gently pulled her left nub into his mouth, rolling the peak of her right breast with his fingers. She let out an uncontrollable moan, scratching his head with his fingers. He groaned as he switched to her right nub, being a little more forceful. He then began tracing kisses on her stomach until he reached the edge of her pajama pants. Without a moment's hesitation, he removed her pajama pants and underwear from her body. He got up from the bed and removed his pants and boxers as well. He positioned himself back on top and began to trail her entire body with his kisses.

"Angel," Hermione moaned as he went lower and lower. He then went back to her face and kissed her deeply before carefully placing himself inside her. Hermione let out a gasp of pain at the new feeling.

"Sorry," Angel whispered quickly, not moving.

"I'll be okay. Please keep going," she whispered back, biting her lower lip.

Angel nodded as he slowly moved his hips. His eyes never left Hermione's face, watching her reaction. Finally, she began to move with him, encouraging him to move faster. He simply smiled at her and teased her by continuing his slow pace.

"Angel, please, I want more," she commanded as she locked eyes with him.

He then quickened his pace, both of them moaning in pleasure. Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist, further deepening their connection. She moved with him, letting them become one being. They both found themselves getting close to their points and they refused to break their gaze at each other. Hermione soon broke her hold as waves of passion and pleasure overtook her. Angel experienced the same feeling as he spilled himself into her.

Refusing to break their visual connection, Angel carefully positioned himself next to her. They gazed into each other's eyes without a word spoken. Hermione moved closer to Angel as he wrapped his arms around her. They didn't know what tomorrow had in store for them, but neither wanted the night to end.

**(the lemons end)**

Harry was in his office when his alarms for the modified taboo curse went off. He couldn't contain his excitement as he rushed to his maps. "She's alive!" was all he could say as if he was a song on repeat. He looked over his England map and found nothing. He puzzled until he got to the United States map. He was surprised to find her location in Los Angeles, California. It was the last place he would think to look. Without a moment's hesitation, he Apparated.

He walked the short distance to Hermione's location after Apparating in a nearby alley. He was again surprised to find the place she was staying was a hotel. He stood in awe of the old hotel before walking inside.

The moment he stepped foot inside, he was again amazed by how the center lobby looked. His eyes soon landed on a brunette woman, standing in the back of what Harry assumed was the front desk. He headed straight to it, in hopes that she knew Hermione.

"Excuse me, miss. But can you help me?" he asked, looking at her.

"Name's Cordelia. You don't have to call me 'miss'. What can I help you with?" Cordelia answered, looking back at him.

"I'm looking for a dear friend of mine. Her name is Hermione Granger. Is she here?"

Cordelia looked at him, confused. "No, no one of that name is here. Do you have a picture of her?"

"Yes, just let me…" Harry reached into his back pocket and pulled his wallet. He opened it and went through his pictures. He soon found one of Hermione and showed it to Cordelia.

She looked shocked and confused as she stared at the picture. The first word out of her mouth was "Mia" as she looked at the picture.

"Mia?" Harry asked, confused.

"Yes, that's what she said her name was. Mia Potter." She answered.

Harry couldn't help but smile at her hidden identity.

_She hasn't forgotten me_, he thought before he said, "I'm her best friend, Harry Potter. I have been looking for her ever since she left England. I would greatly appreciate it if you were to tell me where she is."

"She's upstairs," she replied, still in shock.

Harry was up about to walk away when Cordelia shouted, "Wait!"

Harry turned around to face her again.

"What?" he asked, anxiously. He really wanted to see Hermione.

"There's something you need to know about the time that Mia…I mean, Hermione has spent with us," she answered.

She patted the spot in front of her for Harry to sit. She then started to tell him about Hermione and her growing relationship with Angel.

The next morning, Hermione woke up in complete happiness. She had a smile on her face as she stretched to rid the sleep away. For a moment, she had forgotten about Angel's curse as she thought about the night they spent together. It wasn't until she reached for him that she became concerned.

Her fear began to grow as she looked around the room, frantically. She called out to him though her mind screamed for her to get the others. She quickly jumped out of bed and headed for her dresser.

She put her clothes on and ran out the door, not caring how she may look. She headed down the stairs yelling for Cordelia and not paying attention to anything else as she ran. When she did look up, she was surprised at what she saw.

Standing in front of Cordelia was the last person she thought she would see…her best friend, Harry, and standing next to them, which surprised Hermione the most, was Angel.


	7. Her Anger,Their Talk, and a Happy Ending

**A/N: It's been three days so here is the final chapter. I might go ahead and add the epilogue to this so it can be early Christmas to everyone. I will warn you the epilogue is sad…..sweet but sad. I didn't see anyway else to end it. So if you want to stop at this chapter, its okay. But if you want to read the epilogue, be prepared for a sad ending. Hope you guys like chapter 7.**

**As always I don't own Harry Potter or Angel.**

**Chapter 7- Her Anger, Their Talk and a Happy Ending**

Hermione couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her best friend was here in the hotel.

_How the bloody hell did he find me?,_ she thought, staring at him.

To make matters worse, Angel stood in front of her, soul intact. It bugged Hermione that he was still him. Though she didn't want him to be evil, she wondered what this could mean. Then it dawned on her.

_The curse! The curse would be revoke if he felt a moment of pure happiness._ _Did he lie to me about loving me?_, thought Hermione, anger building. She lost something to Angel that she couldn't take back. She thought what they felt last night was the happiness that she had been looking for ever since Ron passed away. She thought about the times they spent together and how everything just seemed to click. She spent weeks trying to find a way to seal his soul in him. She still hadn't found anything that could help him. So how can he be standing there in front of her?

The only reason she could come with was that Angel didn't love her the way she thought he did. She knew that she shouldn't be jumping to conclusions. She knew that it was probably best to wait and see if the others had an answer. But the look on Angel's face told her that he was just as clueless about this as she was.

_Maybe what we felt last night wasn't love. But I know what we felt was true. I wouldn't have given up my virginity to someone who didn't love me_, thought Hermione, looking at the floor.

When she looked back up, she noticed Harry looking at her with concern. If anyone knew what was going through her head, it would be him. When he realized that she was getting angry, he instantly stood up. She wasn't in the mood to talk to him and he knew that. But that wasn't going to stop him from trying to calm her down. His first words to her proved it.

"Hermione, before you do anything rash, please listen," he said, walking towards her, calmly.

She gave the look that let him know that she was furious, but she was surprised when he didn't back down and continued walking towards her. She didn't know what else to do to stop him. So she thought about the next best thing. She ran out the door.

"Hermione! Wait!" he yelled, following her.

Hermione didn't look back. She kept running.

Angel started to run after them before Cordelia stopped him.

"I have to follow them, Cordelia," Angel stated, looking at the door.

"No, you can't go just yet. I have to tell you something first," she argued, not letting go of his arm.

"Did you see her face? How am I going to explain this to her? I don't understand how I'm still me. I felt such an incredible feeling with her last night," Angel said, not hearing what she had said.

"That's why you can't go out there just yet. I have the answer to her question."

Angel turned around, her words sinking in.

"I'm listening," he replied, turning around to listen.

After running out of the hotel, Hermione continued to run for some time before stopping in front of a slightly dark alley. She didn't see if anyone was following her. So she was surprised when she saw Harry standing next to her.

"Why did you run?" Harry demanded, looking at her, with hurt in his eyes.

"I didn't want to talk. All I wanted was to be left alone. You know how that feels, Harry. You used to do it when we were still in Hogwarts," Hermione argued, anger rebuilding.

"Yes, but we could've talked about it. Maybe we could have figured out what was wrong together. Do you know how worried sick I've been for the past year? I didn't know where you were. Why did you leave England?" he argued back, wanting answers.

"I was tired. Tired of everyone asking me what was bloody wrong. You guys had moved on with your lives while I blamed myself every day for Ron's death. I didn't want to be a burden to you any longer. That's why I left," Hermione replied, angry at having to explain herself to him when she didn't want to.

"You know for being the brightest witch of your age, you can be rather daft. If you had told me or anyone for that matter that you wanted to leave, then we would have respected your wishes. You are not the only one who lost someone, 'Mione. You should have known that as your best friend, I would have helped you find somewhere to go. You are family to me, Hermione. Don't ever forget that."

"I know. I just didn't want you to stop me," Hermione replied, anger slowly abating.

"I wouldn't have stopped you. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. You haven't been the same since Ron died. If this was what you needed then I would have supported your decision. From what I heard from Cordelia, you seem to have gone back to your old self again. She told me about everything you have gone through in the past few months that she's known you. You've even found love with this Angel bloke. Now I'll admit I was surprised when she told me he was a vampire but as long as he keeps you happy, I don't really mind it." Harry explained with a smile on his face.

Hermione, however, still didn't look happy.

"Don't talk about Angel and me as if we are in a real relationship. He doesn't love me. If Cordelia told you everything, she must have told you about his curse. If he expresses a moment of pure happiness, he would revert to the vampire he used to be. Since he didn't, that is absolute proof that he never loved me," she argued, with tears threatening to fall.

Before Harry had a chance to argue back, a voice said, "You're wrong."

They both turned around and were surprised to see Angel standing in the shadows a few feet away from them. Hermione just stared at him, hurt obvious on her face.

"How can I be wrong? You're still the same vampire I met a few months ago. How do I know that you love me?" she finally asked, trying her best not to cry.

"Because I wouldn't be standing here with sunlight inches away from me. I love you, Hermione. I would rather sacrifice my vampire life in order for me to prove to you how much I love you. What I felt last night was perfect happiness. I've never connected with anyone as much as I have with you. If you want me to prove it, then I'll do it," Angel said as he slowly extended his hand towards the sunlight. Hermione looked at him in shock as his hand began to sizzle. It wasn't long before she ran towards him and pushed his hand back into the shadows.

"Are you insane? Don't do that." Hermione exclaimed, angrily, looking at Angel.

"I'm sorry. But it was the only thing that I could to get through to you. When you ran out of the hotel, you didn't give anyone time to explain," he replied, giving her a small smile.

"Explain? Explain what?" she gave him a weird look. What needed to be explained?

"Cordelia's vision. She didn't tell me everything about it. She knows how you were the only one who could save me," Angel replied.

"How?" Hermione asked, now curious.

"By being with me. She knew that we were going to fall for each other. She saw a glimpse of us making love and me walking to her with a smile on my face. She didn't want to say anything because she thought I might screw it up," he explained, somewhat annoyed. He hated it when Cordelia thought he would mess up something.

Hermione smiled a little. _That sounds like Cordelia,_ she thought, but she couldn't help but still be confused about something.

"So by being with me, you won't become an evil vampire. How is that possible?" she asked more to herself than to anyone directly.

"I can answer that for you," Harry spoke, causing Hermione to look at him.

"Then how?" she asked.

"Remember the night I sacrificed myself to save you and our friends after Ron died?"

"Yes."

"Well, by doing that, I placed a protective charm on you and everyone else to make sure no one else died like the one my mother put on me. Even with Voldermort's defeat, the charm was never lifted. Therefore, when you and Angel made that connection last night, the protective charm extended to him to protect you. Which means…?" Harry paused for a moment, hoping that Hermione would get her answer.

She looked towards Angel again and smiled.

"You really do love me," she said softly.

"With all my heart," he replied, smiling at her.

Hermione just stood there, absorbing everything all at once.

It wasn't long before she ran towards Harry and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for helping me see the truth," she whispered happily.

"You're welcome. Now go give that vampire of yours a hug," Harry said, letting her go.

She nodded before running towards Angel. She jumped into his arms, smiling as he smiled back at her and held her up in his arms. They then leaned in and kissed each other with ignited passion.

It had been a long hard year but in the end they both found something that would keep them happy forever.

Each other.


	8. Epilogue

**A/N: I decided to go ahead and post this. Happy Early Christmas. I really enjoyed writing this story for bananaeskimo. She really liked it even with the sad ending. Thank you everyone for reading this story. I'm glad that you liked it too.**

**A major thanks to keelhaulrose for helping me through this story and being there to help me when I had a problem or a question and to txfantasystar for helping me better understand Angel and seeing the story through.**

**As Always, I don't own Harry Potter or Angel.**

**Epilogue**

Years later, in a cemetery late at night, Angel stood in front of his wife's grave. It had been only been a week since Hermione's death, but to Angel it felt like a century. After that fateful day when he proved to Hermione that he loved her, his life became even more interesting. He had formally asked her out and she happily had accepted with a huge smile on her face. Harry had stood there, smiling at them. When Angel and Hermione had finished embracing each other, he welcomed him into the family. Angel smiled remembering her eyes lighting up, happy that her best friend accepted him. They talked to each other as if they were old friends. Harry, happily, left Los Angeles to spread the news to their friends of Hermione's new life.

They had decided to stay in Los Angeles, but made frequent visits to England to see her friends. He had been amazed by the different things that her magical world had to offer. He loved the Weasleys' Joke Shop and even used them on his friends. Together, they solved more cases. Angel taught her how to fight, which at times he often regretted because when he made Hermione angry, she would use it against him. They happily dated for several years before Angel proposed. He wanted to be old fashioned so he asked for permission to ask for her hand from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who had become Hermione's second parents. It was a beautiful nightfall wedding. Angel smiled remembering Hermione in her wedding dress. As she was walking towards him, they locked eyes and to them it was like they were the only ones in the room.

They had a lot of great memories together. They had their occasional disagreements, but they always made up a minute later. Angel loved every minute they spent together. He especially loved the nights when they made love. He was able to prove to her how much she meant to him without worrying about the consequences. He sometimes worried about hurting her, but she would always reassure him that he wasn't. He was happy to have found her. He had past relationships that he loved the person greatly, but nothing like this. The love they felt for each other was so strong that words couldn't describe it. They were soulmates. He wanted to spend eternity with her, but they both knew that it was not possible. Angel didn't want his wife damned to his life. He didn't want to risk his sweet Hermione's soul to a vampire life. His one regret was not being able to give Hermione children, but she would always tell him that he was all she needed.

Before she had passed away, Hermione made Angel promise that he would at least try to move on without her. He did and he hated it. Nothing was the same without her. Alone, in the world, he then decided to come back to her gravestone to talk to her.

"Hi, love. I did what you asked. I tried to move on, but I realized that I can't. Everything is so different without you here." Angel said, looking at the marker.

He looked towards the sky. It was started to slowly get brighter. It reminded him of the night that they first met.

_She had her wand pointed at him and he was trying his best to get her to calm down. She had been asking him a bunch of questions and he would answer the best he could. He started to notice that it was starting to get a lighter outside. _

_Hermione had just finished asking him why he had smiled. So he had decided to not only answer her but to ask her what she wanted to do next._

_"Nothing, I'm just glad that we can finally agree on something. Can I ask you a question?" he asked, looking at the sky at the sky again._

_"Sure, what's the question?" she asked, looking at the sky as well. _

_He noticed her look of confusion when she looked back at him. He smiled a little even though his mind was screaming at him to remember what he was going to ask her._

_"Can we take this conversation elsewhere? I don't want to stand here, waiting for the sun to come out. I'm kind of allergic to the sun." he said, with a goofy smile._

_Hermione placed a hand over her mouth as she giggled. It was the first time that she let her guard down. _

He smiled remembering her laugh. Her eyes would light up with a playful smile on her face. He wanted to hear her laugh again and just see her face. He looked up at the sky again.

Sunlight was starting to peek through, much brighter than before. He then looked back down at the gravestone.

"I'm sorry that I have to break my promise, my love, but I can't stand living in a world without you."

With his final words, Angel closed his eyes and welcomed the sun. The moment sunlight touched his body, he was engulfed in flames. He slowly burned until there was nothing but ashes in his place.

A strong gust of wind carried his ashes. They lifted them to the sky; carrying him to the woman he couldn't live without.

The sun shined brightly that day as if it was helping to celebrate the reunion of two soulmates who had found each other during a dark time in their lives.


End file.
